Snow White: The Untold
by Mouseycou
Summary: The story of the Queen from Snow White and how she became the woman she was. The story begins with Queen Grimhilde and the King (who I named Alden) and their first meeting. We all think we know the story, but how much were we really told?
1. Chapter 1: How They Met

**Chapter 1: How They Met**

Our story begins, as all stories must, in a time long ago when kings and queens ruled the land. In a small forest on the outskirts of one such kingdom a young maiden lived alone in a cottage of humble construction and appearance. Having left the kingdom many years ago, she had already become quite accustom to her calm and solitary life. Each morning she would pick herbs in the forest to use in the medicines she would sell to passing soldiers as they returned from battle. It was on one such outing, down by the stream collecting mushrooms, a handsome white horse appeared from among the trees and stopped in front of her.

Looking up the woman she noticed the horses bridle indicating it not to be wild and she placed her hand on the horses head, rubbing its neck softly with the other. The horse had many scars and its white coat was blemished by spots of red blood which trickled down from its wounded shoulder. Upon the horses saddle a young man clad in armour lay limply bleeding heavily from his side.

"You have done well." The woman whispered comforting the horse with yet another pat on its neck. "Come, we must hurry my young friend or your master may not survive." she grabbed the horses reign and led it back towards her cottage where she treated the mans wounds.

"No need to worry." She said looking up at the horses head now sticking through the window and watching her sow the man's side once more. "He will live, but it may be some time before he wakes up."

It took a few days before the man awoke, during this time the woman sat and cared for him as the nights came and went. On the third day the man woke with a start in the middle of the night, and the woman who had been treating his wounds all day now sat sleeping in the bed beside him. She was awoken by a hand on her arm and opened her eyes to see the young man sat upright in her bed staring right at her.

"Where am I?" The man asked looking around the room as he did so. "This does not look like the palace."

"My apologies Sire, it seems you were injured and I brought you here for treatment." The woman replied bowing her head in respect. "I happened across your horse while collecting herbs and I could not let you alone."

The man let go of her arm and grabbed his side in pain as she helped him to lye back on the bed once more.

"It would seem I owe you my thanks." He said as he winced in pain once more. "I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused and be sure I will make sure you are paid well for your service."

"Thankyou Sire, but you need not worry about such things." She turned away from the mans gaze and began to grind more herbs in her pestle and mortar as she prepared more medicines. "It is the duty of all to help those who are in need."

She stopped again as the man grabbed her arm once more in an attempt to continue to conversation. "Even so, I would like to repay you. Might I at least know the name of my rescuer?"

"Grimhilde Sire, my name is Grimhilde."

"Grimhilde, such an unusual name." The man said laughing slightly to himself as he began to drift off once more.

"And you Sire?"

"Alden." The man said with a smile as he fell asleep once more.

It was another couple of days before Alden woke again, his wound by this time had begun to heal and his fever had begun to go down. The young mans waking was announced by the loud crashing noise he made as he fell from the bed in his attempt to stand.

"My lord, you must not push yourself yet." She said helping to lift him back onto the bed in a sitting position. "The wound will still take many more weeks to heal."

"So beautiful." Alden said looking up at her in a half-delirious state.

"Surely you jest sire." Grimhilde replied blushing slightly. "You may find more beautiful women anywhere I'm sure."

The man laughed as he became more lucid and rubbed his eyes as if to clear the sleep dust from his eyes. As the man sat on her bed talking with her they discussed his life in the kingdom and she soon learned that the man was no ordinary soldier but the prince of the kingdoms capital.

"What was a prince doing on the front lines?" Grimhilde asked as the sun began to set and she lit the fire for warmth. "Surely you should be welcoming the soldiers home rather than risking your life fighting."

Alden's face went rather dark and it was some time before he answered, but when she returned with the pot of water to begin her cooking he beckoned to her to sit once more and with great difficulty he began to explain how his wife had passed away two years ago leaving him with their only daughter.

"I'll admit now, I was a fool." Alden said patting his side as he remembered. "When I left I felt lost without her, it was over a year before I began to realize that I had run away and left my daughter alone. But I couldn't leave yet, I kept telling myself..."

"You are not wrong Sire." Grimhilde said as she put her arms around him and hugged him as to comfort him. "You have just realized what is important to you, and you have become a better man. Heal quickly and you shall return home a hero and loving father."

As she let go the man grabbed her hand and patting it lifted her fingers to his lips. His eyes were teary and his mouth was in a pained smile. "Thank you." he said and they continued to talk into the night.

The next morning Grimhilde woke in the empty bed and found a note written to her by the Prince on the pillow beside her. Jumping out of the bed noticing he was not lying beside her, she grabbed the note and not bothering to dress ran out of the cottage doors searching for the Prince's horse on the horizon. But the prince was long gone. Clutching the note to her heart she went back into her cottage and collapsed in her chair. Her thoughts were full of worry for the young prince who must have stumbled across the room with much effort and must now be riding his horse along the streets of the kingdom in much pain.

As noon approached Grimhilde looked down at the message in her hand and sighed with a pained smile. Never more had she wished she could read than at this time for she would never know what the prince had said in his final message to her and her heart pained for the man who had captured her love.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome To The Palace

**Chapter 2: Welcome To The Palace**

It was many months before Grimhilde would meet the prince again. The spring flowers had died away and snow had covered the land in its cold white mantle, the temperature was now so low that barely a soul dared venture from the warmth of their fireplace.

Grimhilde slowly rocked back and forth in her chair whilst staring deeply into the fire. Since the prince's departure, she had kept herself busy so as to forget. She had not found any further signs of the man in the woodland and she guessed that he must have gotten out of the woods safely. Her eyes would often drift to the letter still on the mantle piece between stitches in her knitting which had long since been finished and was now getting longer and longer as she didn't pay attention.

It was evening before she was woken by a knock at the door, the storm had died down and was now nothing more than a soft flurry of snow, at the door stood a young boy who was dressed very lightly for the weather leaving him shivering and sneezing on her doorstep. As a healer she could not bare to watch the child without inviting him into her home and sitting him next to the fire. The young boy introduced himself as Vesna and he had been sent by the king to deliver a message. "My lady, it is the kings desire that you come to the palace." The boy continued as Grimhilde dried his hair and cleaned his nose. "He has sent me to bring you back so that he might meet you."

Grimhilde froze but then turned her back on the boy not giving him a reply as she went off to fetch medicines from the cupboard. For a moment her thoughts had drifted to Alden, the thought of getting involved with yet more royalty did not really appeal.

"Please Madame, King Alden requests your attendance. I dare not go back without you." When she turned she found the boy prostrating himself on the floor in front of her as he begged for her approval of his request.

"Alden?" Grimhilde asked taking her seat and ignoring the boys pleas. "After all this time, he remembers I exist." She snorted and returned to her knitting. "If he really wants to see me again, why does he not come himself, but instead sees it fit to send a boy in his stead. What's more, he sends the child on a night such as this, did he think I would pity you?"

Vesna shook slightly at the daggers in Grimhilde's voice, but though the insult was aimed at the King, he could not let it go without defending his majesty.

"After the past Kings death, the King has been busy ruling the country." Vesna said as he pulled himself to his feet. "He is getting weary with overwork and is currently not able to travel. He mentioned a woman in the forest and asked that I bring her back to him, he said that she would probably hate him as he had not collected her as promised in the letter. But even if you do, he would like to see you again once more."

Grimhilde looked at the boy and then at the letter. She had assumed that the letter was nothing more than a farewell note, and she did not think that he would ever be coming back. She raised her hand to the boy who flinched, fearing that he was about to be punished for speaking out of turn, but instead she placed her hand on his head and patted it softly. "Then be happy child, you have completed your mission. We shall head back once the snow has ended, and I shall meet with Alden once more." She chuckled and took the boy to one of the spare rooms of the house, "But maybe we should remind the King when we see him, that not all people will understand things that are written."

The next morning the storm had ended and the two set off towards the castle. Vesna had arrived on horseback and his large black stallion was already waiting patiently in the stable. "He is a good horse." Grimhilde said patting its main. "Strong too, he should be able to carry us both and more." She turned to Vesna who was now wrapped head to toe in fabrics from her dresser which she had roughly cut into the boys size. Around his neck the overly large scarf she had been knitting wrapped 3 times and still hung loose below his waste. The boy was probably only about 10 years of age and his nose was still running from cold. "Come Vesna, lets be going." She lifted the boy onto the horse and then jumped onto the horse behind him while he took the reigns.

The travel to the castle took most of the day and night was already falling as they entered the castle gates. The city had changed a lot in the years she had been gone, there were now many more houses and coloured clothe covered the walls and roofs.

"Who goes there?!" A guard called as they entered the gates. "Only those authorized may entered the palace at this hour. Identify yourself and leave if you are not expected."

"It's ok Mark, it's me." Vesna said lowering his hood and pulling the scarf from his mouth. "I have the woman from the woods, the king is expecting her."

Mark looked up at Vesna and then at Grimhilde. "You should know better than to arrive at this hour. By all rights I should..."

"We were caught in the snow, but the king demanded that I bring her straight to him as soon as I arrive. I'm sure his majesty would rather we not wait until morning." He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Mark who examined it carefully.

"Very well, you may enter. But be mindful of your timing in future." He stepped back and signalled for the inner gate to be opened.

"It is strange for one so young to have such influence." Grimhilde whispered to Vesna as they made their way through the gardens to the castle. They had left their horse at the stables and would now have to travel by foot to the main castle.

"My father was the general of the army." Vesna said stopping. "He was an amazing leader and the other soldiers admired him. But..." He looked up at the castle and continued walking. "He was killed a few years ago by an assassin from another land, after that the guards have been raising me."

Grimhilde didn't really have time to comfort the child as just when he finished speaking the arrived at the castle gates. As the gates opened she was confronted by the light of shining gold and white marble in a room lit by thousands of little candles. A large stairway stood at the end of the hall which separated into two other stairwells as it went around a large viewing platform. Grimhilde shrank back against the wall and her eyes darted back and forth from the decorative plates to the room high paintings and she was left to contemplate the differences in their social standings and how different their worlds were as Vesna ran off to inform the king of their arrival.


End file.
